Drug mastermind jailed for 30 years

By Daily Telegraph Correspondent

Brian Brendan Wright, 60, used yachts to bring cocaine ashore

A gambler who rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous on Britain's racecourses has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role as head of a £300 million international cocaine trafficking operation.

Brian Brendan Wright, 60, was yesterday found guilty of conspiracy to evade prohibition on the importation of a controlled drug and conspiracy to supply drugs after jurors at Woolwich Crown Court deliberated for 24 hours and 59 minutes.

"You played for the very highest stakes and won, for a number of years, a luxury lifestyle.

"You knew the consequences of detection and conviction."

The scale of Wright's criminal network was enormous. A police and Customs investigation discovered that he organised the use of yachts to bring three tonnes of the drug, which originated in South America, into Britain.

The Irish-born trafficker used horse racing and his contacts in the industry to launder the proceeds of his operation.

A statement by Customs released after the case said: "UK Customs investigators, working hand in hand with their counterparts in the United States, succeeded in dismantling what is probably the most sophisticated and successful global cocaine trafficking organisation ever to target the UK.

"This has resulted in successful prosecutions at all levels of the conspiracy, from the Colombian suppliers, to the transporters, to the members of the UK distribution network and ultimately [to] the head of that network, Brian Brendan Wright."

Operation Extend led officers across Ireland, the Caribbean, the United States, Mexico, Venezuela, Australia, France, South Africa, Switzerland, Spain and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.